The Grape Vine
by Foamy the Squirrel
Summary: Lillia Grey, better known to the world as Death, has seen every kind of cruel mistreatment there is and the familiar tugging at her heart has led her to Hogwarts. The Final Battle is quickly approaching and so is the forbidden fruit she longs for.
1. Chapter the First

Disclaimer: I only own the plot.

Crappery: I was dreaming a few days ago and dreamt up an idea. This story is the fruit of that hallucination. Sometimes something just has to be written and when it does a person feels much, much better. This thing was like that...

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**The Grape Vine**

Chapter the First

Badly woven orange and red polyester cushions that barely took the bite off of the harsh wooden seats surrounded me, the

layers of plastic barely muffling the screech of rusting iron hitting equally tarnished metal. I hated trains with all my soul, ever

since they had been created I had declined any opportunity to ever board one of the man made monstrosities, even though

my...'job' often brought me to the sites of horrendous accidents. Even now, I look back and can still vividly see the twisted heaps

of metal, fused together in places that were never meant to be, their delicate wooden tracks crispy and charred, eaten

voraciously by starved flames. I was the only one who heard the long dead cedar scream in the throes of agony. I alone

witnessed cries of torture of those caught amongst the atrocious wreckage. A slight shiver ran through me and I pulled the

satiny material of my cloak tighter around my shoulders, fighting the disgust at the synthetic mass around me. I would much

rather ride horses for days to get to my destination rather than confine myself, even for an hour, within such artificial hell. My

eyes stared sightlessly out the window, staring past the simple plane that the humans around me could see, into the vast sands

of time. Myself, along with few others, were privy to this world of harsh reality. Here there were no dreams to soften the sting.

There were only now and all the little strands that brought the billions of people to now and the trillions of pathways that lead to

the future. It was my 'job' to patrol these threads, collecting those that failed on their journey, holding them and loving them in

their final moments, waiting with them until whatever comes next claimed them.

I remember years, millennia, ago when the world was still new. The Creator took me aside and merely held me. At that time I

did not understand that this would be the only time somebody would offer _me_ comfort and not the other way around. Her embrace

lasted both a moment and a lifetime before she pulled away to look at me. Her eyes, the pools holding the secrets of life and

depths of eternity, were sad as she brushed some of my bluish black hair from my face. She told me that she was sorry for what

I would have to do, but I was fashioned for my task and it suited me best. At that point in time I did not comprehend what she

was saying and simply looked up at her with childlike innocence. Right then I felt the first tug at my heart and felt myself turn

my back on the Creator. Without thinking I let myself be pulled to where I was 'needed', my newly made body disappearing. When

my eyes opened I was standing amongst several people, all who shared the same look as the Creator had. They were clustered

around something and silently parted when I stepped forward, watching me with wide eyes. I knelt before the prone form,

something inside of me directing my movements. An old woman lay on a simple blanket, her long since grayed hair spread on the

pillow beneath her head. A smile lifted at the corners of her cracked lips and she reached a hand out to me. Wordlessly I took it

and held it in mine. I then felt what she did, the pain of knowing that she was leaving everyone that she had ever loved. That passed

and a new feeling of deeper, stronger agony shot through my gut. It wrenched it tightly like someone had rammed a stick into it

and twisted it furiously around in circles. Tears gathered and streamed down my face. A deep violet mark, the colour of my

eyes, bloomed along my cheek, curling in an elaborate plum swirl. This drew a gasp from the crowd and I pulled the woman into

my arms, holding her tightly against me just as the Creator had me. I felt her convulse and my grip on her tightened, a little thing

inside of my soul breaking. She stilled and I gently laid her on her back, trying not to see her sightless eyes staring up at the

ceiling. My throat tightened and I experienced one of my first, true emotions. I was sad. Somebody rested their hand on my

shoulder and I turned my head. The elderly woman smiled softly to me, her eyes momentarily jumping to her body before resting

on my face. She did not speak and I just knew what I was supposed to do. I returned the look and rose to my feet, slipping my

pale hand into her aged one.

"Come along." I whispered quietly. "We are not meant to stray here."

She nodded wordlessly and let me lead her from the room, the cries of mourning relatives following us. A ray of warm, golden

light straight from the Creator's sun poured onto me and I heard the one behind me let out a crow of delight. I let go of her and

twisted around so I was facing her. The outline of her bent body was growing hazy and I gently pressed two of my fingers

against her forehead.

"It is time for you to go now Eve." I murmured.

She tilted her head at me as if I had said something in comprehensible, but within seconds her body disappeared and all that was

left was a slight indent in the lush grass where her feet had rested.

I sighed softly and let the memory pass, continuing to stare at the fleeting countryside. At one point during the millions

of years of life, my presence had touched everything. No person nor creature was unawares of my presence. Even on the most

primal of level, everything understood that one day I _would_ come for them and no amount of pleading would grant them another

chance. That was for the Creator to decide, and She rarely gave a second life. Not even to her Chosen. They all passed with time. I

had been there in their last moments, holding them and feeling their pain. Every time I was forced to bear witness to these

events, something inside of my broke and I slipped further and further into a dark chasm that I was floundering in. My hand fell

from my lap onto the synthetic cushion I was sitting on, my pale wrist facing upwards. Centuries before I had discovered a way

to 'relieve' the pain I felt by inflicting physical wounds. It took me nearly twelve decades to realize that it was a momentary

distraction from an amusement park of suffering. My near translucent flesh still bore the marks; silvery patterns like the

hidden tattoo on my face decorated my skin. My eyes slid closed as I felt the more than familiar and deeply despised twinges in

my heart. The only reason I was on that contraption in the first place was to complete a job. This ache was different though, at

times it was so strong it crippled me and then sometimes it was barely there. There was going to be an atrocious, bloody battle

and what war would be complete without the presence of Death? _I_ am Death in all of her gloriously sinister splendor.

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_Well, just read and review. Tell me what you think..._

_Your Lord and Master;_

_Foamy the Squirrel _


	2. Chapter the Second

_Disclaimer: I don't even own Death, this is just my take on her. _

_Crappery: This one actually has to do with Harry Potter..._

_Drifting-Ashes: Yeah...I thought ATLANTIS was a little short as well..._

_Alcapacien: Erm...I can't tell you without giving crap away, but this chapter does involve it!_

_Lorett: Of course it's troubling, Death is the main character!_

_Silly Bandit: Yeah, I understand that I was a confusing first chapter..._

_FunnyCatGirl: Oh it will, it starts in this chapter. I know Death has to be female, just like the Goddess. It just makes sense. _

_Sever13: I hope it'll make more sense in this one..._

_Thanks for the reviews! Blessed be!_

The Grape Vine

Chapter the Second

The jarring motion of the train coming to a sudden halt threw me from my seat and onto the floor. Pain, a mild

discomfort that I barely acknowledged, bloomed in my arse and a momentary growl escaped my throat. I might be immortal, a

true immortal unlike Vampyres, but that did not mean I was unfeeling. I slowly pushed myself and dusted my cloak of, brushing

the stinking traces of plastic away from me. The door to the compartment slid open and an elderly man stood in the archway. He

smiled at me, his blue eyes twinkling in a way that reminded me all too strongly of the Creator. I unconsciously stood straighter

like I would in Her presence, my eyes resting just above his right shoulder. He bowed to me, bending at the waist just enough to

show his deep respect. My thoughts cleared I drew out of my stiff stance, relaxing my shoulders enough to meet his eyes. He

could not hold them and was forced to look away, unable to control a shudder as he saw the pain and suffering deep within my

purple hues.

"My Lady..."

"Do not call me that." I snapped; too many people had said that just before they passed, believing that I would save them. "Until I

take my leave, my name is Lillia Grey, the long lost daughter of the deceased pureblood family."

"Will that not cause a problem? The Slytherins will be suspicious."

"Than let them be, I frankly do not care. Their life spans are a passing cloud over the lake of eternity."

"Let me introduce myself, I am Albus Dumbledore, Headmaster of Hogwarts."

I tilted my head to the side as I dropped the sight of humans and looked deeper within him. His life was dwindling quickly; he would

not survive much longer. His heart was beginning to flutter in the last throes of life, fighting to stay alive just a little bit

longer. Mortal vision snapped back into place and I lazily crossed my arms over my chest.

"A pleasure to meet you Albus."

He opened his mouth to reprimand me, for a moment forgetting that I was infinite and forever. One of my dark brows lifted and

his mouth closed, he simply nodding his head.

"It might not be such a wonderful idea to address me as such around the students."

"I will call you what I will. Those children judge quickly and their petty views do not faze me. I will come for them eventually."

"Yes, yes of course. The Yuletide Feast will begin soon. I was hoping to have you sorted before then..."

"Sorted? I doubt I will fit into any of your houses."

"Be that as it may, it is a necessity."

"Then do as you will."

From the folds of his periwinkle robes he drew out a battered hat that screamed familiarity. I snorted softly and plucked it from

his fingers, settling it none to gently on my head. The maker of this hat had not come silently, quite the contrary actually. He had

refused to believe that a fragile looking girl such as myself could _possibly_ be Death. It was not until I changed my shape,

something that is merely the rearrangement of atoms, so I appeared as my description in many a book. He actually screamed

and faded away like all the newly dead do. The brim of the hat squeezed my head in recognition, before a hoarse voice spoke into

my ear.

"Death."

"Hat." I hissed.

"I see your temperament has not improved during the centuries."

"You're still the same dusty, uppity, and dysfunctional hat you always were."

"They expect me to sort _you_? You don't have a house...You are no human."

"Don't you think I know that?" I growled, not caring if the old man heard. "Just do what you were created to do before I do

something truly _horrible_ to you."

The hat ruffled its brim, a gesture equivalent to a human huffing. It was silent and I felt it attempting to poke around in my

head. It would have an impossible time trying to view the contents of my mind, not even the Creator was allowed to look in there.

It finally withdrew and in a huffy voice announced which house it had deemed 'fit' for me.

"Slytherin."

"Excellent, now let us leave this train, your bags will find their way to your new rooms with time."

I smiled faintly, ignoring his shudder to the creepy upturning of my lips. "I hope you know I will not be sharing a room with any

of those children."

He simply nodded and took a step out of the compartment. "Of course, it would bring you closer to them and would make it

ultimately harder for you to do your job when their time came."

I followed him out, holding my cloak tightly around my to hide my appearance from any who might try to look at me.

I stood in a massive doorway, easily ignoring the curious glances being thrown my way. Long ago I had grown used to

having people stare whenever I passed and these feeble peeks at my person were easily brushed off. It did not take me long to

find the table I was looking for, for it was beset with all shades of silver and green. I slid easily into a seat at the end as I began

to examine the tugging in my chest. I closed my eyes and sighed very quietly. Despite my lids being closed, I could still see the

hazy black outline around all those destined to die in the battle to come. Even after the eons I had been in existence, every death

still broke a little part of me. I bowed my head for a moment, looking down at my lap so I could have a brief reprise from seeing

the damned. I felt a presence at my side and slowly lifted my head, a curtain of dark hair shielding most of my face.

"Who are you?"

I ignored the boy and looked at my empty plate, blocking the dark auras from showing when I looked around. Somebody else sat

on my other side and I felt the hairs at the base of my neck stand on end. Even though I was not human, the Creator had imbued

me with many of their qualities. Talk about one of the greatest ironies...The two people on either side of me grew closer so

their thighs were just barely touching mine. Again, the same person spoke.

"Who are you?"

"That does not concern you." I said simply.

"Oh but it does. Don't you think it would trouble all of the Slytherins if a stranger suddenly appeared in our midst in the middle of

the school year? You appear out of nowhere bearing the name of a long since dead pureblood family and expect us not to

question it?"

I shrugged and stiffened when the boy who had not been talking moved my hair away from my face. With my visage exposed they

both drew in a breath, eyes widening in surprise. It would make sense that Death would be beautiful. I am the last face humanity

sees just before they are taken to whatever comes next. I have been compared to sheer perfection, this was of course before

they realized who I was and why I was there, but that is beyond the point. The boy who had touched me tried to speak and I turned

my deep plum coloured hues to him, trying to keep my anger in check.

"Do not touch me." I hissed.

My plea fell on silent ears as the one who spoke touched my blemish free, pale cheek. "So beautiful..."

I scowled and got up from the table. "I asked you not to touch me and it will do well for you to listen. I will not tolerate you

trying to get close to me." My hands were clenched and this was on of the rare moments I opened the cage to my anger, letting a

single tendril of it escape. I opened my mouth to say something else, but a new pull at my heart stopped me. I was needed

elsewhere. I simply glared at them before striding out of the hall, the necessary black robes flapping behind me like a pair of

massive wings.

I walked quickly until I left the confines of the castle and I was surrounded by the goodness of the Creator. I took a deep

breath and concentrated on the twinge, before I gave in to the magic tugging at me. When I opened my eyes the scenery in front

of me and sighed at the great splashes of crimson everywhere, a murder, my favourite. With a singe thought my appearance

changed and I was wearing a floor length dress that was snug against my form. I did not like the customary image of Death, it

filled me with sadness that humans saw me as nothing more than a vengeful skeleton out to ruin people's lives. I took handfuls

of the gown, lifting the skirt enough so I would not stain the hems and walked towards the barely breathing body in a far corner.

The once white carpet was sticky with the blood it had gorged on and I paid it no heed as I dropped to my knees. The person looked

up at me with terrified eyes, her broken body trembling furiously.

"Don't hurt me..." She whispered.

I reached forward and she instinctively flinched away, thinking I was going to hit her. I made a soothing noise in the back of my

throat and took her small hand into mine.

"I will never harm you." I answered, smiling gently to her.

She saw something in my face as I watched her with care and she let out a heartbreaking sob. Without a thought I pulled her into

my arms and began to rock slowly, softly singing a lullaby I had learnt countless years before in an attempt to pacify her.

"He hurt me so much...He told me that he loved me. He said that nobody else would want me. He was all I had. He was the only one

that cared..."

"Did he do this to you? Was he the one that beat you like this?"

"He said that I deserved it..."

I gently kissed her forehead in the way a mother would her distressed child, fighting the ire I always felt when I came across

deadly abuse like this. "Oh baby, nobody deserves this. He was just unhappy with himself so he took it out on you. You did not

need him. Somebody loves you, somebody always loves you."

"But who?" Her voice cracked. "Ever since I was knocked up I've been so alone...He took care of me, even when I miscarried."

"And then he started beating you?" It was not uncommon for me to talk with the dying; I gave them comfort when they needed it

the most. "He never loved you. Nobody who loved you would ever hurt you like this. He would rather do this to himself than to

you."

"But he said..."

"He was manipulating you."

"He would never..."

"Yes he would. If he could beat you, he would do this."

She was silent and I felt wetness creep along my shoulder, right where her face was pushed against me.

"Who could love me now? I'm damaged and unstable."

"I love you." I whispered softly; and it was true, I did love all the people in took in a maternal way.

"But you don't even know me..."

"I have known you since you before you were born. I sat with the Creator as she planned your life. I waited for this moment for

so long, so I could finally see you.

She pulled her head away from me, looking into my face to see if what I was saying was true. I was not lying and a smile spread

across her bruised face.

"Thank you."

I merely tucked some of her bloody hair behind her ear and let her disappear. My job was done for the moment and another part of

me had gone with her.

_Well, it's over 2,000 words and I hope it doesn't suck...If you read it, please review it! _

_Your Lord and Master;_

_Foamy the Squirrel_


	3. Chapter the Third

_Disclaimer: Same as always, you guys know the drill._

_Crappery: Had to post something before it was shut down for two days..._

_SuperHiperChit: Who do you think Eve is? What biblical name is that? Use your brain woman!_

_Lorett: If the previous got you misty eyed, this one definitely will too._

_Silly Bandit: Oh I'm glad! _

_Arya Raven: Thank you! Except every sad beginning has an even more tragic end._

_Mojo the Rock Chick Munchkin: Stories are FUN!_

_Drifting-Ashes: Yeah, in my eyes Death is extremely misunderstood. She really does love everyone, although her love is different than the Creator's. Hers is more sad, like if someone close to you knew when and how you were going to die before it happened. _

_Alcapacien: Names aren't important in the story..._

_Thanks for the reviews you guys! Blessed Be!_

The Grape Vine

Chapter the Third

With an emotionless mask in place, I trudged up to the enormous front doors of Hogwarts, my stained dress still

adorning my figure. I was exhausted and wished for nothing more than a long bath. I slipped into the dark hallways and silently

flitted towards the rooms I had been given. Supposedly they were reserved for prominent guests and Albus had chuckled to

himself that no visitor was as renowned as me. But then again, everyone knows about Death. It is apart of everything's life,

except for mine. I am forced to remain present, forced to bear the tests of time because I am the only one fit for such a job. I

was created for the sole purpose of loving the dying and releasing them from their lives. I shivered and wrapped my arms

around myself, trying to keep a little shred of warmth about my body. There had never been a time that I had not felt a great

burden weighting down my shoulders. The only occasion that I can ever remember that I was free of any responsibility was

when the Creator held me. I had not experienced anything beyond love and did not know that there was anything beyond Her tender

embraces. A snort came from me. How naïve and childlike I had been. Upon taking my first life the initial part of my soul

disintegrated into a pile of wet ash, impossible to ever bring it back. I stopped in front of a portrait, a dry peal of laughter

echoing in the cold passage. A very masculine looking Death stood proudly in the frame, his cloak billowing behind him like a

possessed cloud. My arms crossed over my chest as I looked at the heavily gilded and overly ornate scythe in his hand.

"Who the hell had the audacity to paint me like that?" I wondered aloud.

"How dare you speak to Death in such a way feeble mortal! Cower before the eternal undertaker!" The portrait boomed.

I gave a little start and narrowed my eyes at it, letting my sight change just enough so I could see the spells sparkling in the

canvas. A nasty smirk tugged at the corners of my mouth as I calmly lifted my hand.

"I believe it is you who should be cowering."

He sniffed. "Cringe because of a human? What kind of dark entity does thine take me for?"

Without a second thought I snapped my fingers, removing the charms that allowed the lower half of the picture to move. With

everything from hips downward frozen, the painted man grew suddenly afraid.

"Thou are clearly more powerful than that this humble creation! Prithee, I beseech thee, do not harm me!"

I simply sighed, but kept my hand where it was. "I will only tell you this once. You are not Death; you are a cruel mockery of what

Death truly is. The Creator is female and She made Death, Her counterpart, in Her image."

Even in his semi-stationary state, he still had the sudden audacity to speak.

"God? A _woman_? Females are better for nothing more than birthing and whoring, once one is passed their prime, the world has

no need of them."

Antagonism stiffened my spine as I ground my teeth together. "Curb thy tongue." I hissed, unconsciously lapping into his form

of speech. "Thou knows not of what thou speakeths of."

He sneered. "I am a man, that guarantees I know more than thou."

"Is that so?" I smirked. "Sadly for thine, thou is naught more than a picture."

"I will spring forth from these confines to prove that mine is the stronger of the sexes."

"Go right ahead, I would perish if such a sight was denied me."

He stood there for a moment, trying momentarily to jerk free and then simply looked at me like I was a smear of crap on the heel

of his shoe.

"I am unable to."

"I thought as much. Thou art the portrait to mine rooms and thou wilt open when I command thou to. Understand?"

"Yes ma'am." He said demurely.

"Excellent. Now open."

It swung open and I quietly stepped in, completely oblivious to the three pairs of eyes that had watched my confrontation with

the obstinate paint man.

The room within was simple and I sighed faintly, my eyes slowly taking in my surroundings, simple colorless walls with

curtains that were just a little darker and that completed the colour scheme of my room. Without thinking I waved my hand,

causing a wave of deep tones of purple, green, and black to cover the light. I walked quietly through the plain living room, past my

bed in the next room, and into the surprisingly large bathroom. A slight smile tugged at the corners of my mouth as I ran a hand

through my slightly stiff hair. It looked like something the Creator would have created just to make me shudder. Masses of

fluffy white cloud things, they might have been towels, pink sandstone and a sunken in tub in the shape of a heart. I pictured

clearly in my mind's eye what I wanted and with another simple flick of my fingers, my setting changed. I let out a sigh as I felt

smooth, cold black marble beneath my feet and trudged towards to bathtub which had lost its previous shape. I sat on the lip of it

and looked at the bath salts resting eagerly on a small silver table next to the tub. It was a mass of light scents like spun sugar

and vanilla. A snort echoed and within seconds it was all replaced by a variety of things all smelling the same, night jasmine.

Yes, I will admit that it is a flowery smell, but there's something deep and heady about it that is far more fitting to my persona

than anything that had been supplied. I turned the hot water faucet on and then slipped the dress off. There were patches of

drying blood across my stomach, shoulder, and knees and I absently ran one of my fingers through the pool. I had never been

afraid of blood. I had never been able to comprehend why some mortals fainted at the sight of the heavy liquid. It contrasted

wonderfully with most things, staining whatever it touched, always leaving a trace of its self behind. Blood was never forgotten,

it was a constant, just like me. Once, a long, long time ago I had cried after I had released somebody. I the pain I had felt when I

realized that I would never have the opportunity to be freed in that final, ultimate way struck me hard. I could _never_ leave. That in

itself had been so shocking I had refused to acknowledge any of the pulls, believing that if Death refused kill, then death would

become superfluous and I would fade away like I had seen so many do. To say the least, that did not go over well with the

Creator. I remember distinctly how She had actually screamed at me for not doing what She told me I had to do. It was in the

moment I lost what remaining love I had for Her. She knew exactly what I was going to have to do for the rest of eternity; She

_knew_ that it would cause me far more pain to have to take the lives of the innocent, all because _She_ made me that way. I realized

that no being that would create something to house all the pain and suffering of the world and then add the ability the feel all of

this, was truly not a loving deity. She doomed me to all of time being completely alone, unloved, and pining for the very thing I

dealt out. The sound of water hitting water brought me back to the present and I blinked slowly, clearing away shadows of

loathing and suppressed pain. I turned back to the tub and added liberal amounts of the softly smelling salts, before turning the

faucet off and slipping in.

I looked dubiously at the bed I had been given, silently wondering why I needed it. Sleep was not a necessity for me; I rarely

succumbed to the foggy land of dreams. The Dream Lord did not like me very much. He has been called much since he was created

and my favourite to taunt him with is the Sandman. I can remember many occasions where I have been kicked out of sleep

simply for mocking my brother. All the ones the Creator made to help Her keep control of the world are siblings. None of us look

alike, with the exception of the three Fates, but it goes unsaid between us that we are family. That has always made me snort,

never has any member of my so called 'family' ever offer me an ounce of comfort or sympathy, even when I am there to hold

them when they need it. Is it because I am the emotional dumping bag of the group? That is something I have never been able to

answer. Throwing another dubious look at the bed, I left the room. My living space was made up of two plush armchairs, a small

table, and a fireplace. Not the sumptuous expanse one would expect as Hogwarts' best, but it's not like I actually believed the

barmy old codger. I dropped into one of the chairs and lit the fire place with a single glance. Warmth over took me and I let my

mind drift, basking in one of the rare moments I was not being called somewhere. Of course, the moment that thought passed my

mind my heart nearly exploded from the strength of the convulsion. I let out a curse and simply disappeared, not bothering to

change out of the simple jeans and close fitting t-shirt I had thrown on as I got out of the bath.

The first thing that reached my nose when the darkness cleared was the horrendous stink of human waste mixed ever so

tantalizingly with the sickly sweet reek of decaying flesh. Even though I was Death, my stomach heaved and I pressed a hand

against my mouth in an attempt to still my rolling stomach. Somebody was actually dying in this putrefying pit of stench. I

quickly looked around, the good in me not wishing to make the human wait any longer before passing on, and I let out a soft cry

as I saw what I had come for. Lying amongst the trash, offal, and half decomposed animal corpses was the pallid body of a

newborn. I ran, to hell with walking, towards the small form. I was by the child's side within seconds and without a care to the

smell, scooped it up. Its little body was covered in sores and the tips of its tiny fingers and toes appeared to have been gnawed

on by some sort of rodent. It was completely naked and I fought back tears as I held the infant to my chest. No child deserved to

be abandoned in a hell like this. Not even if they were begotten in rape or any other horror. This little boy had been doomed from

the moment he had been conceived and I was left to pick up what was remained of him. He let out a wordless wail as he turned

terrified hues up to me, pools of murky brown glistening with tears. I touched his forehead, brushing some of his dirty hair

away.

"I love you." I whispered, putting emphasis on each word.

While he did not understand the exact words I said, he got the feeling I put into them. He had never been loved, he had been

abandoned at birth and all he knew was pain. I came to claim him and showed him love, putting his soul to peace. His little spirit

disappeared from my caring embrace and I swallowed thickly, forcing tears back. My eyes momentarily landed on his broken

body, the husk that once held his precious essence, before returning to my chair in front of the fire, alone.

_This is sad...But it all sadness has a purpose, I promise...Read and review!_

_Your Lord and Master;_

_Foamy the Squirrel_


	4. Chapter the Fourth

Disclaimer: I just own Echo…She's my baby!

Crappery: It's been a long time, but school and family life have intruded. I mean, I'd far rather live in my imagination…But that's a bit hard in this day and age. Nothing really to report, just review!

Nikka Malfoy: The names are meant to be vague, because if you think about, names aren't important to Death. People are pretty much all the same to her, they all look like everyone else with the exception of a special few…

Alcapacien: Ah the wonders of adjectives…Names are superfluous!

Silly Bandit: There is an interaction in this chapter! Five characters are interacted!

Drifting-Ashes: Yeah…Just an example of human cruelty.

Lorett: Yeppers, people from Hogwarts are mentioned in this chapter…

Queen of the Insects: No…She's more based on one of my good friends in real life, course, she doesn't know it but it's all the same. Hundreds of souls are about to die and she was called to be there. She's not sure when it will happen, but it will. I don't really feel like writing it right now, soo…yeah…

Mojo the Rock Chick Munchkin: I know it's been down for like a week! DAMNIT ALL!

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The Grape Vine

Chapter the Fourth

I sat still the rest of the night, silent images of abhorrent cruelties that only a truly perverse psyche of a human could

create flitting across my mind's eye. The sun dawned and what I thought was a ceramic cockerel on the mantle above the

fireplace let out the most obnoxious croaking noise that I believed was thought to somehow resemble the crow of a healthy bird. I

donned the clothes I had purchased before this little…excavation into the daily life of a soon to be dead. An empty book bag was

slung against my shoulder as I silent left my hardly adequate suit, ignoring the call of 'salacious wench' by the mocking

portrait. I was in a foul mood and a small, miniscule, part of me pitied any who wronged me that day. I leaned against one of the

large doors leading to some Great Hall, letting my hip bear the brunt of my weight. Hundreds of chattering children happily

devoured food, all totally unaware that something far more powerful than any of the little seedlings of power they had was

standing in their midst. It made a wry smile tug at the corners of my dark lips at the realization that at a single thought, I could

blow this place into oblivion and prematurely end so many lives. The smile morphed into a cruel smirk when I saw a ghost float

past me. I remembered that one, those thick ruffles of fabric expensive enough to feed a starving village for months nearly

drowning his costly doublet.

"Nicholas." My voice came out like honeyed satin.

He froze, causing a student trailing after him to walk through his pearly essence. He turned slowly to see me, his ghostly eyes

widening until they appeared buggy.

"Surprised to see me love?" My tone changed from sweetly loving to malicious and spiteful in the time it took for a life to end,

which coming from witnessing millions, took little time at all.

"I-I…" He stammered, completely lost for words.

"What didn't expect to see your thought-to-be-dead-by-your-own-hand-lover ever again?"

"Y-You…"

"Died? Merely lay there like the angel you commonly referred to me by as you stabbed me? I hardly think an incomplete beheading

was a just punishment for you transgressions…If they'd merely looked in the shadows of a seedy tavern or behind the wispy

silks of a Persian palace, I would have been found to give testimony against you."

"B-But…"

"Death got your tongue? I seem to remember you being far more eloquent…"

"Why are you here? I thought I told you I never wanted to see you again!" He interrupted, suddenly regaining his ability to speak.

One of my perfectly curved brows lifted. "Don't flatter yourself." I snarled harshly. "After what _you_ did, not even a direct order

from the Creator Herself would make me willingly or otherwise consort with you."

"What _I_ did? Give you a home when you needed it most, fall in love with you and eventually _wed_ you?"

My blood ran cold and I clenched my fists, my sharp nails digging into my flesh. "You murdered my…" I was stopped by the

harsh metallic clanging on a magical bell. "Don't think this conversation is over _Nicholas_." I stressed his name before turning on

my heel and striding out of the doorway.

I seethed as I stormed to my first 'class', the sheer outrage I was feeling causing my stomach to churn. He was one of the few

people I refused to accompany in their last moments before the great beyond claimed them. Luckily, the Creator, who is not as

chaste and naïve as most think She is, understood and he was never taken. For that is the outcome of those I will not see in their

final moments, they remain forever on Earth, forbidden to ever know what comes after their short time alive. They became

ghosts. I sat down in the back of some classroom, dropping my weightless bag onto the ground beside me. My eyes grew blank

as I remembered, one of my hands drifting to my flat stomach. Once a heart is utterly broken, nothing can make it truly whole

again. I took a deep breath as I fought tears. They were inappropriate and it was pointless to shed those salty droplets. It was

all in the past and nothing I did would ever bring it back. Somebody cleared their throat above me and I slowly looked up, my

purple hues suddenly blazing with the foulness I desperately desired to inflict upon the world.

"What do you want?" I growled.

"Why were you talking to Nearly Headless Nick _Slytherin_?" A boy with messy black hair and startling green eyes looked down at

me furiously.

"Nothing that concerns you." I was sorely tempted to call him child, but considering that I appeared to be his age, it might not be

the most intelligent thing to say.

"Answer the bloody question!" A ginger haired youth snarled, his wand out and pointing at me.

"Or what? You'll curse me with that…fish?" The stick of wood had turned into a rather smelly haddock in my pause and he

dropped it in horror.

"How…"

I merely smirked and flipped some of my inky, blue black curls over my shoulder and leaned back in my chair. A girl with bushy

plain brown hair whipped around and screeched at the teacher.

"Professor!! The new girl used magic against Ron! She turned his wand into a fish!"

Within seconds a stern looking woman had descended upon me, her grey hair pulled back in a severe bun that appeared as if it

would give her a killer migraine.

"What is this I hear about you using your wand against another student, Miss Grey?"

For a half second I was stunned that the girl was anal-retentive enough to freak out at such a small display of power and

turned my face up to the professor. My eyes were big and my lower lip was pouty, as I gave her my I-am-so-innocent-and-

everyone-is-out-to-get-me look.

"It is perfectly erroneous Professor. I don't see any fish anywhere…Just a slightly scuffed wand lying abandoned on the floor.

You can't punish me for something I didn't do."

She opened her mouth to say something and realized it was pointless, turning on the girl. "Miss Granger do not falsely accuse

your classmates."

"Yes Ma'am." She said demurely and waited until the woman had retreated to her desk before glowering at me. "Don't think this is

over you Slytherin scum. I'll make sure that you get what's coming to you."

The trio left my general area and I slowly drew my legs up, pressing my thighs against my chest. People, especially rancorous

girls, could be so malicious. The bell clanged and the woman cleared her throat, getting the class's attention.

"I will spare you the customary beginning of the year speech, in favor of learning what I must re-teach you all. Miss Grey,

please come up to the front of the room." It figured, this teacher was also vengeful.

Noiselessly I unfolded and rose, walking with an ethereal grace I moved towards her, keeping my head up.

"Where is your wand girl?"

I had not seen the point in procuring one of those feeble little wooden rods, seeing as I did not need it to channel the raw energy

living within me. Simply creating the illusion of one, I drew my 'wand' out of my robes and held it daintily.

"Good, transfigure this quill into a white rabbit."

Muttering under my breath how much I disliked her and the pleasure I would receive when I came for her soul, making it sound like

a spell, I flicked my 'wand' changing the inner essence of the plume, truly morphing it into a living and breathing albino rabbit.

"Good, now my desk into a unicorn."

There were gasps from all around the room and a screechy voice rose up from the multitudes. "But Professor McGonagall isn't

it illegal to transfigure _anything_ into an endangered magical species?"

"I merely wish to see if Miss Grey can do this, unless you wish to take her place Miss Granger?"

"N-No Ma'am…"

"Well?"

A scowl settled onto my features and carelessly flicked the mirage in my hand. A soft puff of displaced air and beautiful,

flawless unicorn whinnied quietly.

"Your unicorn _Professor_. Too bad you won't be able to touch it." I said coldly, all too aware of the dark things she had done.

"How dare you…Detention with Mr. Filch at seven o'clock tonight."

"Whatever." I muttered flippantly, striding back to my far desk.

In all actuality, I really did not give a fuck if the old cow assigned me one hundred detentions. It's not as if I was actually

going to _go_ to it. If I had learnt anything in the eons I had spent as Death, it was that I bowed to no one, not even the Creator. I

had become as powerful as She in my own way, stronger than She ever believed powerful. I was Her equal and She knew it.

I felt many pairs of eyes on me as I settled myself against the hard back of my chair and I let my dark gaze meet pure

mercury. He smirked at me and blew something in his hands toward me. I watched without interest as an origami dragon

fluttered over to me on fragile wings and the moment it landed on my desk, my hand came up and crushed it. I flicked it onto the

floor and leaned back, my attention meandering from the monotonous words of McGonagall.

* * *

My first day at 'school' drew to an uneventful close as I headed back to my room, seeing it pointless to make an

appearance in the Great Hall. Just as I was approaching my portrait, a spectral figure came out of the grey wall near me.

"Fancy meeting _you_ here." I snapped.

"L-Lillia…What a _p-pleasant_ surprise…"

"We aren't going to have this conversation here." I flicked my fingers at him and the smoky outline disappeared, solidness over

taking. "Much better, this way you can't get away." I grabbed his forearm and dragged him past the portrait, ignoring its look of

horror.

I threw him down into one of the armchairs, trying to fight the need to implode something. I closed my eyes as I emotions I had

not felt in centuries well up inside of me and then simply looked at him, hues filled with unmentionable pain.

"Why Nicholas, why?"

He bowed his head and rose to his feet, watching me with familiar compassion. "I am sorry for cutting your life short, although I

do not understand how you appear to be no older than the Seventh years here and yet were my wife so many decades ago…"

"Answer the question." I said through gritted teeth; I had loved this man a long time ago, all I felt now was resentment.

A quiet sigh and he reached out to touch my face with solid fingers. Instinctively I jerked away, my skin crawling at the thought

of contact with this man. His hand dropped to his side as he stared at me.

"I never stopped loving you." I snorted. "I know you cannot believe me, but my mistress...She led me to believe that you were

lying with Baron Eglamour and that the child was his…"

"That sordid whore, did you not know she just wanted your money?"

"Aye, I realized it as I was being led up to the block. She was standing in the crowd, laughing at me. None of it was true and little

Echo was dead…"

"I know." I whispered.

I had been 'dead' for no more than an hour when I felt another soul needing to be taken. I silently acquiesced to the summons and

for the second time in my long existence, I had cried. Where my tears of purest blood fell, immortal roses grew. For all I know,

the blossoms of forever still exist, twining about whatever wreckage and debris that are the remains of my home of long ago. I

swallowed thickly and looked up at him, seeing the question in his eyes.

"I am Death." I murmured quietly.

His expression darkened and he drew back, putting feet between us. "That cannot be…I would have known if I had lain with Death.

Your heart beats just like mine and your skin is warm…It is impossible."

"Nothing is impossible. You found me when I was vulnerable and I grew to love you…"

That was not the best thing to say.

"You _loved _me? How can _Death_ love? It suddenly _all_ makes sense now…Why you would suddenly have to disappear or why you

weren't in our bed when I awoke in the middle of the night. It only made Amelia's story all the more convincing!"

"Please…" I whispered.

"I do not want _your_ love, demon lover. I want nothing to do with you. I am actually _glad_ I destroyed your offspring."

"She was your daughter too!" I cried as my heart clenching. "You murdered your own child!"

He laughed coldly. "That was no daughter of mine. You lay with the Devil and grew heavy with his spawn. You were just as

unfaithful to me as my beloved Amelia said! Never did you honor what you promised in our vows! What did you do when you

disappeared on our wedding night? Hardly had I penetrated you than you disappeared! Adulterous wench!" He bellowed, striding

towards me with his fist lifted as if to strike me.

Amethyst eyes widened with explosive ire as I raised my arms and pointed my tingling hands at him. It was time to relieve some

of the pressure inside of me.

"Goodbye Nicholas."

He faltered and a fragment of a word escaped him before a sheet of power erupted from my fingers, a ray of bloody crimson

morphing, twisting with ginger and gold, approaching his still form. It wrapped around his newly restored form, tendrils of heat

licking at tender skin. Screams of purest agony reached my ears and pleasure of darkest, most depraved kind flooded my veins.

He twisted in vain, dropping to his knees as the fire consumed him. In his last seconds before his eyes melted into puddles of

sightless, colourless goop, blinding rage was understood before an animalistic wail of untainted torture echoed and then there

was silence. All that remained of Sir Nicholas de Mimsy-Porpington was a pile of ash on my sable carpet. I stood there for a

moment, looking at the residual traces of my deceased husband before sitting, albeit shakily, in my armchair by the cheerfully

crackling fire.

* * *

I am unsure of how long I was there, but the next solid thing I remember was the feeling of warmth and love washing over

me. I let out a humorless chuckle through my nose.

"Creator."

"Death."

"What brings you to my humble abode? Not here to give me another duty to carry out in your name? The Spanish Inquisition

must have been enough to satisfy you for at least a millennia…"

"You know that I know that that was a mistake."

"Just like that meteor that killed the dinosaurs and near extinction of mankind when you decided to breed earthlings with

Martians? You _still_ haven't gotten around to planting life back on that deserted planet, have you?"

"Child…"

"Do not call me that, you know that I am your equal."

"I still created you."

"True, but through the eyes of power, you are not my better."

"I am not here to fight with you."

"Except that seems to happen whenever we are present together."

"Just allow me to speak and I will leave you!"

"Go ahead, it's not like time is being wasted."

"You understand the pains of loving, you were not created with the capacity to love-"

"Despite the fact that I loved my child."

"-you must be careful not to fall into such a nasty pit again. It would be dreadful if you were unable to continue…" She carried

on as if I had never spoken.

"Although it would be impossible for me to die, remember? You made sure of that." I looked up from the fire and blessed angrily.

She was gone.

"Fine, fuck you Creator…We'll just see who's the most powerful entity, won't we?"

* * *

_Tension between the Mistress of Darkness and the Creator…What is unraveling? Nobody knows!_

_Your Lord and Master;_

_Foamy the Squirrel_


	5. Chapter the Fifth

_Disclaimer: I do not own anything in this story with the exception of Aysel..._

_Author Notes: I have utterly no clue what happened...I was doing a rudimentary check of my stories when I found that The Grape Vine and Travesty of my Life had the exact same fifth chapter that was meant for Travesty of my Life. Now, I might just be going insane, but somebody please correct me if I am wrong. Here is the proper chapter five..._

* * *

The Grape Vine

Chapter the Fifth

My time at Hogwarts continued to drag onwards, me making my customary trips to comfort dying souls in their last, fleeting seconds of life but the entirety of it all remained extremely dull. For, I had lost my desire to be human when I had held my only child in my arms as she slowly passed on, killed at her father's hands.

My heart hardened when I remembered the grief stricken expression in my beloved girl's eyes as she looked up at me, trying so hard to comprehend what was happening to her. She had just barely begun to taste the ambrosia of life when it was brutally stripped from her.

I shivered instinctively as trudged through knee deep snow towards the feeble paddocks where Care of Magical Creatures took place. In truth, I was not cold and would not grow chill even if I took a lovely little swim naked in the half frozen lake, but to keep up the appearance that I was mortal I had to bundle up.

It was almost the festival of love and carnal lust that the humans named Valentines Day and I was steeling myself for the expanses displays of public affection, something I internally wished to take a part in but forbidden to.

A little sigh escaped from me and a small puff of heavy air was suspended before my face before I walked through it, tiny tendrils breaking free and dispersing. My heart was growing heavier and on a primal level I knew my task was approaching, what I had been brought to do would take place soon.

I drew to a halt once I had reached the young mortals, eyes remaining proudly up as I looked at what animals were caged in. My heart dropped: unicorns. The creatures had always rejected me for the taking of lives was something that disgusted their pristine purity, never did the arrogant, gorgeous beings pause to look past the thick layer of darkness around me to the light I held in my heart.

For a moment my lids slid closed and I swallowed past the lump in my throat. Suddenly I just wanted to flee back to the castle and sit in front of the fire for the rest of the day. A hand descended onto my shoulder and my head flipped around, a curtain of bluish black hair swinging after me. A pair of mercurial hues looked down into mine and my breathing ceased for a moment as I took in the awe inspiring divinity before me.

His face was perfectly sculpted through years of careful breeding and his flesh just as pale as my own deathly pallor. Golden hair fell in straight locks around his chin, several delicate strands resting over his eyes and giving him the appearance of an innocent child.

The shoulders of his black silk robes were snug enough to fall around him in a way that revealed the white shirt beneath that clung to the muscles of his chest and stomach. My eyes lifted once more to meet with his and were swept away in the maelstrom of silver that tugged at the few loose bits of my heart left attached.

This was stronger than anything I had ever felt around Nicholas. He seemed just as enthralled with my own appearance as the hard steel in his hues melted and uncontrollable shiver gripped my spine. How was it possible that a mortal could be so amazingly beautiful?

Surely only the Creator could be so faultless…He cleared his throat and his eyes hardened, walls springing up around them but not before I could store the image of them unguarded in my mind.

"Draco Malfoy…" He whispered, voice tremulous as if he was unnerved.

"Lilia Grey, I remember your fath…" I trailed off as I realized that it might not be the best thing to mention the boy's father whom I had recently escorted out of the World of the Living.

"Who do you remember?"

"No one, never mind it is not important."

"Actually…"

My normally expressionless face tipped upwards, lips pulling at the corners into a soft smile and my eyes warming up. He drew in a half heard gasp as my features changed from suffering soul screaming for aid to tender being offering love and comfort to the needy.

His hand came up from his side and gently cupped my cheek, his thumb just touching my lower lip. The air around us seemed to warm up as the world outside of our private sphere dropped away, leaving me to revel in the feelings.

Those pools of liquid mist began to pull me in and we were leaning towards each other when a throat cleared some feet away. Harshly, real life tumbled around us and I blinked slowly as I tried to gain my bearings. I turned my head slightly and saw an impossible tall man looking at us uncomfortably.

"The lesson will star' now…" And he began to retell the children myths and fantastical stories about the unicorns in the pens; he was done within moments and clapped his massive palms together, the sharp sound ringing through the clearing. "Righ' I reckon it' be best if tha girls were ta come f'rst."

Slowly the woman, girls really, stepped forward, I with them, and watched the horse like creatures. Several were able to touch them and when it was my tern to try and touch the impossible soft fur, I threw a glance up at the giant. "I don't think…"

" Miss. Grey it's yer turn." His tone left no room for argument.

The look in my eyes must have terrified him for the dark skin around his beard paled and he began to shake faintly. I took a step forward and reached a hand out to the female as I prepared for the horrified whiny soon to come at my impure state.

To my surprise, the creature shuffled forward and nickered against my hand, not disgust rolling off of her in choking waves. The moment my fingers touched her silky muzzle her lovely white fur around her nostrils began to darken, taking on an ebony hue.

The unicorn did not seem alarmed and merely nuzzled closer to me, as if she was trying to get as close to me as she could. The colour change of her pelt spread over her head and as it was rippling down her neck and back, the teacher, Hagrid I believe, suddenly spoke.

"Right, lessons are over fer tha day." He barked quickly, motion for everyone to pick up there things.

I began to pull away from the mare but a soft shriek escaped her as the contact between us diminished and a faint wave of pain encompassed me until I set my hand on her neck. My eyes grew wide once she was completely consumed by the dark colour and massive lumps began to appear on her back.

The flesh peeled away from the bumps and I watched in horror as silvery fluid streamed down her coat as leathery wings began to grow. Utter silence surrounded the paddock and when the unicorn fell onto her side, I instinctively dropped to my knees and gently set her head in my lap, cooing to her.

A soft sigh escaped her muzzle as the wings ceased their sudden growth, looking extremely similar to those of a full grown dragon, except smaller. I gently ran my fingers through the long hair of her mane, surprised to find a minor presence hovering in the back of my mind.

_'What are you doing in here'"_ I thought.

_'My Lady, thou hast arrived.' _A faintly female voice, yet it sounded unlike that of any human.

_'Yes I have, but might thou know of what has happened?' _

_'Companionship is something thou hast continually craved and I will fill part of that void within thou.' _

_'You have enslaved yourself into an eternity of darkness…' _

_'Twas the task I was born to accomplish, Lady.' _

I smiled absently and leaned down, softly brushing my lips against the top of her head. _'Thank you; what did your dam name you, cherished one?' _

_'Aysel, if it pleases thou Lady.' _

_'Sleep now, Aysel, for I know you must be weakened by your transformation. I will not stray far from you while you dream.' _

_'I am grateful, Lady.'_ She said and her darkened lids slide over her deep azure eyes as she slipped into slumber.

I sighed softly and gently set her head onto the soft earth, rising to my feet. I spun around and stiffened when I found Hagrid, Draco, and three people I noticed were Gryffindors by the crimson on their robes watching me.

"What?" I snapped, not appreciating the way they were staring at me.

"How did you…"

"What did you do?"

"Why didn't it hurt you?"

"Are you all right?"

Four voices chorused and I let out a growl, uncanny protectiveness over the sleeping unicorn gripping my tightly. "Silence, you will awaken her." My voice rung with power and instinctive fear lit in all of their eyes, except the golden hair Slytherin. "I will tell you nothing, so do not ask me." I looked at Hagrid. "The uni…pega…Aysel is no longer under your or Albus's jurisdiction. Any who touch, harm, or bother her will deal directly with me, understand?"

The man nodded quickly and I threw a warm glance down at the obsidian creature before waving my hand over her body. In times like this it was extremely helpful being such a powerful being as I was; it aided me in protecting those I cared about. A small burst of golden sparks emerged from me and settled over the once unicorn, disappearing once they touched her.

"How did you do that?" Squawked a bushy haired girl, one of the Gryffindors, watching me with jaded eyes.

I merely shrugged and began to stride back to the castle, wanting to be free of their accusing gazes. I had not been walking long when I felt a now familiar hand catch my arm. I met the eyes of the last remaining Malfoy and merely nodded.

"Yes?" I just wanted to be alone…

"Interesting display back there, what are you?"

"A magic wielder, just like yourself."

"No wizard or witch, not even the most powerful, could perform such a complex and strength draining protection spell like that without looking severely exhausted and they would have do it with a wand. You just wiggled your fingers, you can't be human."

"You are extremely nosy. My personal life is just that, personal. Now excuse me, I am going to go take a nap."

"But it's not even lunchtime yet."

"So? I really do not care if I miss a few classes. It is not as if they are important."

He was clearly surprised by my 'Leave me the hell alone, I don't give a damn' tone because his back straightened slightly. "Then let me walk you back to your rooms. Yes, I know you do not stay in the dormitories. The school is not safe for solitary Slytherins."

For a moment I let my eyes drift up to him a frisson of warmth fluttering in my stomach and drifted through my limbs. A smile unconsciously found its way onto my face and we walked into the school, my soul feeling lighter than it had since the night my child died.

* * *

At one point during the short walk, his cool hand had slipped into mine. I was surprised to say the least, this display of affection something one such as me was unused to. When Nicholas had been courting me there had been no outward displays of tenderness; he used respect around me, but nothing more.

Unconsciously I moved closer to him as we entered the monolithic structure of the school so our shoulders were just touching and I was blissfully unawares of what was going on around us. For a moment I believed that I was mortal and never held the dying to my breast, soothing them in their last moments of life.

A shiver ran through me as that feeble fancy disappeared when my heart constricted tightly and I quickly separated from him.

"What is it?" He asked softly, genuinely concerned.

"I have to go." I replied quickly.

"Did I do something?"

"No! I just…need to leave."

As he was opening his mouth to speak, I forced a smile onto my face and ran towards the nearest staircase. I heard him call to me as I disappeared around a corner, but I could not stop and stay with him. I leaned heavily against a wall as I came to a skidding halt, dropping my head into my hands.

I could not believe what I was doing, falling for a human? Eventually his life would be ended and the pain would be too much for me to handle. It would not be fair for him to love someone his entire life, never have her age past seventeen, then pass away and find the very same woman collecting his soul.

Nicholas had not been very appreciative of it, even if his thickheaded demeanor kept him from realizing who he married. The tugging at my heart grew stronger and she, however unwillingly, gave into the constant pulling. When my eyes opened again the fetid stench of decaying flesh assaulted my nose and instinctively I pressed a hand against my nose to halt the reek.

I had appeared in a gloomy stone room and it was eerily quiet. I took a step forward, straw crunching beneath my feet, when a half sob reached my ears. My pupils dilated and split, light flooding my retinas as the scenery became clear.

Several women of assorted ages were manacled to the walls, filth streaking their bodies, mixing seamlessly with trickles of blood. A certain girl with matted, once blond hair began to cry harder as she watched me glassily. I stepped towards her and she made an animal noise of terror, pressing her cheek against the stone behind her in a feeble attempt to hide.

"Child," I whispered softly as, "why do you fear me? I was there when you were born, I was there for your life, and now I am here with you in your final moments. Hold no terror in your heart, you are free."

It was in that moment that there was a very quiet noise of air being displaced and I felt a warm bulk materialize beside me. Upon turning slightly I saw darkness of pelt and heavily veined wings.

_'Aysel, what bringest thou here?' _

_'The Horse of Death should be with Death when her duty calls, no?'_

I half smiled and brushed a hand against the silky strands of her mane before retuning my attention to the quivering human. Her eyes, dulled by continual torture, were heavily lidded.

"The pain and humiliation…it hurts too much."

"You are safe now, rest for eternity." I slipped an arm around her tiny waist and brushed my free fingers

against the biting iron around her wrists.

She fell limply against me and murmured softly to her as she cried out from the sudden movement. I did not alert her that her body had remained chained to the wall, but her spirit had fallen free. She was dead. Aysel lowed herself onto the ground and I mounted up, gently settling the girl before me.

Her face, so lined with grime and gore, lost its careworn lines and took on the innocence that had been stolen from her. I brushed my hand against her forehead and she gave a little sigh, her wavering form disintegrating into a cloud of nothingness. It was my turn to sigh and I leaned forward, burying my face into Aysel's neck.

_'Such is the life of Death. I watch so many pass into the next realm, but it is denied to me for eternity.'_

She gave a comforting noise in the back of her throat. With a little shake of her tail and flex of her wings, she stepped into the air and we walked through a rip in the fabric of time.

* * *

_I hope you all enjoyed the proper chapter five..._

_Your Lord and Master;_

_Foamy the Squirrel_


	6. Chapter the Sixth

_Disclaimer: I do not own anything but dearest Death, Echo, and Meira. _

_Author Notes: I apologize about the shortness of this chapter, but it was necessary. I also am sorry to say this story is almost over. I never intended for it to be longer than five or so chapters, but with seven it shall end. I hope you all enjoy. _

* * *

The Grape Vine

Chapter the Sixth

I curled up despondently on my bed, eyes closed and face buried in the plush material of one of my many pillows. One of my hands was curled loosely by my cheek, fingertips just barely covered by thick locks of blue black curls. My heart ached fiercely as I fought the tears threatening to soak into my cushion.

I have been witness to all the atrocities of human kind in the eons since they were created and my soul felt so weak, hopeless, that the once vivid spark within me long ago guttered, throwing my being into consuming dark. It had been so long since I had truly cried, the night Echo was murdered the first, and I craved the release letting my sorrows pour out of me would bring.

My heavy tears had escaped my lids twice before and the third time, for three is the most powerful of all numbers, would be for grief so strong, nations would crumble under the brunt. My free hand twisted into a fist as I swallowed a dry sob, although the hoarse, spirit wrenching noise could not be stifled.

So buried in my anguish of my haunted memories, I lay there in vain to hearing the pounding of fists against the door to my chambers. When that pitiful cry escaped from me the portrait of that faux Death sprang open and somebody ran urgently to my bedroom. It was not until a caring palm rested against a dry cheek that my eyes snapped open, raw agony in their tumulus depths.

An angel, a damned one for no blessed servant of the Creator had ever stepped foot on the polluted, wasted, tainted ground of earth, watched me in silent concern. I began to draw myself up into a sitting position, albeit a trembling one, when his arm slipped gingerly around my shoulders.

"Why do your eyes hold such impenetrable pain? Who has hurt you so to put such an emotion so near the surface there?" His face was so close to mine, our noses almost touching.

I swallowed heavily, ignoring the rolling illness manifesting in the pit of my stomach, and fought the pounding migraine rooting its toxic claws in my temples. "An eternity of sadness I cannot escape, mon ange." The look on his face compelled me to go on, but I would not sully a mortal as pure and untouched of the sulfuric stench of death.

I merely brought a trembling hand up to cup his cheek, thumb resting on the bottom of his lower lip. I would not permanently scar him with the darkness of my soul, no creature alive or dead deserved such a fate as the one I possessed.

Secretly I was glad he could not hear my thoughts and he merely pulled my trembling body closer to his as he sat on the edge of my bed. Gratefully I rested my head on his shoulder as my fragile form shook with the force of the sobs I kept within, refusing to let them rise to the exterior and loose the power they held.

He tangled his fingers with mine and brushed his lips against my forehead, absently humming something in the back of his throat. The soft, sweet melody began to banish the desolation of my soul to the far reaches of existence, replacing it with a pleasantly warm feeling of care.

A very quiet sigh escaped from me as I buried closer to him, eyes slipping closed as the bone numbing coldness within me started to thaw. I am unsure how long the two of us sat there, but if felt as if time had slowed to a stand still and was working its way as molasses through finely woven cheesecloth. Slowly he drew away and brushed a loose curl out of my face, smiling tenderly.

"Would you like to go get something to eat?"

"Why is it," I murmured softly, "men always seem to ruin the moment with their stomachs?" I slipped off of the bed and gathered the hair that fell around me, settling it so it fell down my back. "But yes, I would quite like that."

And so he too rose from the bed, intertwined our hands and led me from the room. As my feet stepped over the threshold, I could not help but feel as if a chapter of my barren life was closing and a far more fruitful one was birthed. Perhaps the torment of the past eons could be ended and my existence would be granted a sliver of saving light.

* * *

Little of what happened in the following weeks is greatly important to the body of my tale, but let it be known that I did truly fall for that amazingly perfect mortal as he slowly let more and more of his own soul be revealed. In the beginning it was only that someone took the time to care, but slowly it grew and blossomed into something far stronger than anything I ever experienced with Nicholas.

Mere words alone are unable to express the depth of emotion we felt and sheer joy suffuses me, even now when it is nothing more than a distant memory, each time I remember. Winter soon melted into spring and this is where my direct narrative will begin once more.

* * *

I could not recall a period that I had been so amazingly content in all the eons I had walked the earth. Where I went, he came and the places he ventured, I followed. Night had fallen, wrapping her dark arms around the castle of Hogwarts, bathing it in tempting oblivion few ever truly witnessed. Draco and I sat high in one of the towers, watching the world below us in silent joy.

We had no need to communicate verbally; all that was necessary to say was understood through simple gestures. A soft breeze fluttered in around us and he slipped an arm tightly around my waist, our bodies pressed closely together. I remember him speaking one time on those who shared his bed. He told me that after the act had been finished, they were turned away and often times ignored.

He did not spend long wooing them, believing they were not worth the effort. At first I began to turn away when he spoke like that, thinking that was all he wanted from me. Upon his fervent, desperate pleas I remained and the rest was explained to me. He believed what he felt for me to be different, never had he felt the desire to make sure _I_ was pleased with whatever was happening.

First and foremost he wanted me to be happy and then he in turn would feel the same. I sighed softly and snuggled closer to his side, gratefully inhaling the exotic scent he was never without. A warm chuckle sounded from above me and I slowly pulled away, head tilted to the side in mild confusion.

"What is it, love?" I murmured.

"You were snuffling my neck."

I felt no shame at my actions and merely shrugged. "Your point? You smell wonderfully and it is my right in our courtship to take the liberty of indulging in smelling you any time I wish."

He ran one of his well manicured hands through my hair before gently pressing his mouth against mine; effectively cutting anything else I wished to say off. A little shiver clutched at the base of my spine as our bodies instinctively moved closer.

As our encounter grew more heated, it came to the point where one of us usually pulled away, ending it before we lost the ability of rational thought. Deep within me I knew that the time of mass death was so close I shuddered at its nearness.

These treasured moments might be the last ones we would ever share together and I knew that while he would never force me into anything, he wanted to go farther than kissing and touching. His hands, which had been resting tightly on my hips, began to unconsciously slide beneath the thin hem of my shirt.

Instead of lightly slapping them away and drawing back, I shifted. His palms were suddenly on the lower parts of my ribcage and he reeled backwards in surprise. I merely smiled to him, a very faint blush staining my cheek bones. Someone on my face must have answered his question because his eyes widened a mere fraction and his arms were around me again.

I will never forget that night, those last hours spent in his loving embrace and the consequences I soon faced because of it. I only wish we had known what was to occur in the following day.

* * *

_While this seems pointless fluff, it is relatively important…In a way most likely only I see. _

_Your Lord and Master;_

_Foamy the Squirrel_


End file.
